“He’s awesome. He’s the only player that I would say has been consistently good both games. He’s played with a purpose and he didn’t let the other stuff affect him. He’s been really, really good for us.”
That was Denver Nuggets summer league head coach Jordi Fernandez on Jordan Davis, who is turning heads with his energy and consistent play in Vegas thus far.
Davis — who is from Las Vegas — said there was roughly 30 friends and family members to watch him play at Cox Pavilion on Tuesday night.
“It means everything. Being able to live out my dream and be able to come home. I’ve been coming to summer league games since I was a little kid, so being able to be apart of it and be the influential mark on somebody else’s life, like when I was younger, I had guys growing up,” Davis said on what it means to play in Vegas. “I came in and watched Blake Griffin play in my first summer league game. So, being able to do that is big.”
Well, Davis certainly did not disappoint as he single handily kept Denver in the game, which had a lot to do with his seven points in the third quarter.
“I feel like he had a great spark for us off the bench,” Jarred Vanderbilt said on Davis play. “I think he kept us in the game actually for that stretch. He came in, played hard, played good defense.”
It was not just his impact in the third quarter as Davis also drew two charges in the first half, which allowed the Nuggets to regain some momentum.
“Especially early on — defensively — being able to get those charges and get those stops allowed us to pick up our game and actually play fast like how we want to play,” Davis told the media after the game.
Even though the Nuggets lost by 13 points, it was not due to lack of effort and Davis had a lot to do with that. Davis ultimately finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field and was 2-of-6 from three-point range.
For Davis, whenever he is on the court it is not just an audition for a spot on the Nuggets, but for the other 29 teams in the NBA as well. Just two days ago, Terence Davis was signed to a two-year deal by the Toronto Raptors after one summer league game with Denver.
Jordan Davis is trying to follow a similar path and Tuesday’s performance was a nice step in that direction. Coming from a small school like Northern Colorado, playing in summer league provides Davis some exposure that he might not have got because he played at a small college.
Coming from a small school is not something that hindered Davis as he continues to show the Nuggets and anyone who is watching what he can do.
“I showed coming from a small school, I was required to score a lot and I had the ball in my hands a lot. But, coming out here, I showed that I can play a roll,” Davis said on what he has show thus far in summer league. “I can guard 94 feet, I do the things that people don’t want to do, take charges, go upstairs with big guys, and then I can play a roll offensively. Whether its attacking and making plays for others or whether it’s just standing on the wings and catch-and-shoot. I’m able to play my roll. I’m a team guy.”
The Nuggets will be back in action tomorrow night — July 10th — when they square off against Golden State as Davis looks to build on his performance. If Tuesday was any indication, it is safe to say that Davis is not afraid of the challenge and that Wednesday night is just another opportunity for him to showcase what he can do.
